Music-leaf turner.



Patented 0st. 23, |900.

R. HAMMOND. MUSIC vLEAF TURNER.

(Application filed- Jui. 16, 1900.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

W/ TNE SSE S TH: Nonms P'r'zws co., PHoTuuTHo., wAsmNGToN. n. c

" No. 060,428. Patented 0st. 23, |900.

n. HAMMoNn.

MUSIC LEAF TURNER.

(Applicntion mnd Jun. 16, 1900.)

2 Shasta-Shut 2;

(lln lodel.)

W/ TNE SSE S Tn: Nonms PETERS co, PHorovLl-mo., wAsmNumN, Dv c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;c

ROBERT HAMMOND, OF CALDWELL, NEV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HARRY O. NOYES, EDWIN R. ZIEBACH, AND CHANDLER A. VEST, OF SAME PLACE.

MUSIC-LEAF TURNER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 660,428. dated October 23, 1900.

Application tiled January 16, 1900. Serial N0.1,644. (No model.)

To LZZ whom, it Wawy concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT HAMMOND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cald- A well, in the county of Warren and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Music-Leaf Turner, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. I; One objectA of the invention is to so con-` struct a music-leaf turner that it may be made extremely light and durable and to provide means whereby the device may be quicklyl and conveniently applied to the music-rest of a piano or a like instrument, or the musicrest of any stand, without the aid of screwclamps or like devices and without in the slightest degree marring the surface to which,

application is made.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple mechanism capable of being operated by the touch of a finger, which will at each touch release a sheet-carrying arm and turn a leaf of music, and, furthermore, to provide a means whereby any leaf turned may be turned back on occasion for the purpose of repeating a score, the reversing mechanism automatically causing the reversed sheet-carrying arm to be locked in initial position until purposely released by the performer.

A further object of the invention is to so construct the frame that a section thereof may be manipulated to retain or to release the binding or connecting section of leaves of music, and also to provide the frame with means for retaining'the covers in open position.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying' drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a front elevation ofthe improved device, one of the sheet-carrying arms being shown in dotted position as carried from the right to the left hand side ofthe device. Fig.

Fig. 3 is a section similar to Fig. 2, the keeper-rod being shown at its lowered position, all of the sheet-carrying arms having been released; and Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken practically on the line t 4 of Fig. 1.

The frame A is preferably constructed of a spring-wire or a spring material, either round,

square, or of othershape in cross-section,

and the said frame consists of a bottom bar 10 and parallel side bars 11 and l1, the side bar 11 being bent upon itself at the top horizontally in direction of the center, forming an upper member 12, and the material of the upper member l2 is carried downwardly to the bottom bar lO, forming a longitudinalcentral member 16. The material forming the member 16 is bent around the central portion of the bottom bar 1U, being secured thereto in any suitable 0r approved manner, as shown at 16a, and said material is thereupon carried upward, forming a second longitudinal bar 17, substantially parallel with the bar 16, and the upper end of the bar 17 is provided with a coil 1S, and the material forming the frame is carried downward from the said coil and formed into an angular arm 19, the horizontal member whereof extends across the front of the side member 11 of the frame and terminates in a hook or open loop 20, as shown bestin Fig. 4. This hook or open loop 2O is provided with two notches or recesses 2l and 22, either of which is adapted to receive the lefthand side member 11 of the frame. Vhen the notch 21, which is nearest the body of the arm 1S), is in engagement with the left-hand member 11n of the frame, the two longitudinal central bars 16 and 17 are brought close together, so as to clamp the back or connecting members of leaves of music placed between them; but when the arm 19 has been drawn up or carried to the left a suflicient distance to cause the notch or recess 22 to engage with the lefthand side bar 11 the two central clamping members 16 and 17 of the frame are held a sufficient distance apart to enable the sheets of music to be conveniently placed between them. The frame A is completed bycarrying the upper portion of the left-hand side member 11 horizontally toward the upper member 12, forming a left-hand upper member 12, and the material of the frame is then carried upward vertically at the center, forming a post 13, the upper portion of which is preferably provided with a covering 14 of a soft material and the two upper members 12 and 12 of the frame are connected by a wire loop l5 or by any other equivalent means, as shown in Fig. 1.

Any desired num bei-of sheet-carrying arms 23 are pivoted on 'the post 13, and a spring 24 is provided for each of the arms 23, which springs` are usually coiled around the post 13 and have one of their ends 24 secured to the leaf-turning arms, their other ends 24b being usually attached to a fixed bar 25, attached to the right-hand upper member 12 of the frame, as shown in Fig. 1. The springs 24 tend to carry the leaf-carrying arms 23 tothe left and hold them at the left-hand side of the frame. Each leaf-turning arm 23 is provided with a downwardly-extending clamping or holding section 26. The leaf-carrying arms are preferably constructed of a spring material-as, for example, spring-wire-and the clam ping sections 264 are formed by carrying the material of the arms downward and thence upward and parallel, forming an open loop ct, and finally the lower end of the material forming the sheet-carrying arms 23 is carried downward at the front of the loop a, above referred to, and the extremities of the tongues d thus formed are curved outwardly,

as shown in Fig. 2. The sheets of music are introduced between the tongues c and the loop-sections a oi the said leaf-carrying arms. These clamping devices for the leaf-carrying arms serve to hold the leaves tirmly to the arms, as the tongues a have a long bearing thereon and the clamps will in no manner lacerate or injure the leaves.

rlhe sheet-carrying arms 23 are held against the tension of their springs in their inward or normal position at the right-hand side of the frame by means of a keeper-rod C. This rod is mounted to slide in bearings 27 and 28, located, respectively, at the upper and lower right-hand portions of the frame A. The upward movement ofthe keeper-rod C is limited by a head 29, formed upon its lower end, coming in cont-act with the lower bearing 28. A spring 30 is coiled around the upper portion of the keeper-rod, and this spring is secured at one of its ends to the upper bearing 27, and is attached at its other end to the keeper-bar, as shown in the drawings. The tendency of the spring 30 is to draw the keeper-rod C upward until its head 29 strikes the lower bearing 2S, and its upper portion extends so far above the top of the frame'as to engage with the sheet-carrying arms when carried to the right-hand side of the frame. The upper end of the keeper-rod C is provided with a beveled surface 31 at the front, so that the sheet- Carryipg arms may readily slip over the upperportion of the rod, especially when a sheetcarrying arm is carried from the left to the right for the purpose of repeating a score.

The keeper-rod C is provided with tceth 32, near its lower end, corresponding in number to the number of sheet-carrying` arms 23 that may be employed, and said keeper-rod C is further provided with a second series of teeth below the series 32 and corresponding in number thereto. The upper series oi' teeth 32 are adapted to be engaged by a pawl 34, and this pawl is pivoted upon the bottom member 10 of the frame A, and the pawl is provided with a foot 35, which extends downwardly at the front of the iframe, as shown in Fig. 1. A spring 3G, attached as the pawl, normally holds its engaging surface in contact with the keeper-rod C, and this spring is secured to the retaining-arm 37, which extends substantially parallel with the bottom member 10, at the rear thereof, the retaining arm or bar being connected at its ends by forwardly-extending arms 39 with the bottom member 10 of the frame, thc attachment being a rigid one, and the retaining-bar and its side arms are provided with a covering 3S, of rubber or other yielding material.

The pawl 34 is provided, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, with a longitudinal slot 40, and a trip-lever 41 extends through the slot 40 in the pawl 34, the saidA lever being provided with a forwardly-extending finger-piece 42. This lever41 at its right-hand end is pivoted upon a standard 43, preferably secured to the bottom member 10 of the frame nearits righthand extremity, and the trip lever is held in the upwardly-inclined position (shown in Fig. 1) by means of a spring 44, one end of the spring engaging with the under surface of the lever near its pivot-point and the other end of the spring being secured to the bottom member 10 ot' the frame, as shown in Fig. l. The trip-lever 41 hasa portion ofit's surfacethat portion which passes through the slot 40 ot' the pawl 34--so transversely-inclined that it will engage when depressed with one of the teeth 33 in the lower series on the keeper-bar C.

A reversing-bar 45 is journaled in bearings 46, secured to the bottom member 10 of the trame at the left-hand side oi' its center and to the upper left-hand member 12a of the frame, as shown in Fig. 1. rlhis reversingbar is provided with a crank-handle 47 at its lower end, which extends downward at the front o'l' the frame below the bottom member 10, and the said handle is provided with a covering 4S of a yielding material, such as rubber, so that should it come in contact with a music-rack it will not mar the same. An angular reversing-arm 49 is secured to or is made integral with the upper portion of the reversing-bar 45, and when the sheet-carry ing arms are at the left-hand side of the frame they are adapted to rest against the vertical member 49n of the said reversing-arm 49.

An automatic clamping-arm is provided for the bottom portion of the frame. This clamping-arm consists of side members 50, which.

IOS

IIO

arepivoted on the bottom member l() of the frame A near each side, and each side meenber 50 of the automatic clamping bar or arm has formed integral therewith or attached thereto an angular forwardly'i-evtending` arm 5l, which in the lower position of the clamping-bar bears against the side members ll and 1l of the frame. TheV body portion 52 of the automatic clamping-bar extends from one side member to the other, and the said side meinbers 50 are upwardly curved to such an extent that the body 52 of the clamping-bar is at some distance to the rear of the frame. This clamping-bar is also provided with a coveri ng 52 of rubber o'r other yielding material.

Forks 54 are secured to the lower portions of the side members l1 and ll of the frame, and these forks are adapted to receive the covers of the music placed upon the device, and tend to hold said covers stationary while the music is in position on said device. Under this construction it will be observed that the covers do not interfere at any time with the manipulation ofthe sheets ot' music.

In the operation of the device when the clam ping-bar is in its lower or normal position (shown in Fig. 2) the clamping-bar is slipped beneath the rack to which the device is to be applied, as indicatedin Fig. 2, and the retainil'ig-bar 37 is passed over the upper surface of the rack until the said retainingbar is at the rear of the longitudinal rib usually provided at the forward portion of a music-rack. In this manner the device is firmly held on the rack, especially since the upper covered portion 14 of the stem 13 may rest against the upper portion of the rack, thus maintaining the device in a rearwardlyinclined position. When the device is set for operation, the music having been placed therein, as has been stated,'and the leaves of music attached to the sheet-carrying arms 23,

said sheet-carrying arms are all placed at the right-hand side of the machine, as shown in Fig. l, and the keeper-bar C has bearing against the sheet-carrying arms at its upper end,retainingthemin position. VVhenasheet of m-usic is to be turned, the finger-piece 42 of the trip-lever 4:1 is pushed downward, whereupon the lever will engage with the lowermostv notch in the keeper-bar C, and the keeper-bar will be drawn down the distance of the space between the teeth 33, causing the top of the keeper to release the first vsheet carrying arm, which will be carried over to the left by its spring, and the pawl 34 will immediately enter the space between the lowest and the next to the lowest tooth of the upper series 32, preventing the keeperbar from being drawn up by the spring 50, when the trip-lever is released. The released sheet-carrying arm when it passes to the left of the machine bears against the upwardlyextending member 49 of the reversing-arm 49, so that if the score on that sheet is to be repeated the sheet mayl be turned back and the score conveniently read by carrying the handle 4S of the reversing-bar 45 to the righi, whereupon the re\fersingarni 4S) will conduct the released sheet-carrying arm again to the right` and the handle upon striking the pendent. member 35 of the pawl 34 will release the pawl from engagement with the keeper-bar C and permit its spring to again carry the keeper-bar to its eXtreme upper position and hold in place the sheet-carrying arm just taken to the right.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. ln a music-leaf turner, a frame, springretaining bars for the binding of music located between the top and bottom members of the frame, one of the said bars being stationary and the other movable to and from the stationary one, and an arm connected with the movable retaining-bar, the said arm being adapted to engage with the frame and lock the movable retaining-bar in open orin closed position.

2. In a music-leaf turner, a frame constructed of spring material, retaining-bars for the binding of music, located between the top and bottom ofthe frame, forming a continuation thereof, the said bars being substantially parallel and one of them stationary and the other movable, a shifting arm connected with the movable bar,which arm is provided with an end section adapted to engage with Va side member of the frame, the said section having recesses therein arranged to receive said side member of the frame and hold the movable retaining-bar in open or in closed position.

In a music-leaf turner, a frame constructed of spring material, retaining-bars for the binding of m usic, located between the top and bottom of the frame, forming a continuation thereof, the said bars being substantially parallel and one of them stationary and the other movable, a shifting arm connected with the movable bar, which arm is provided with an-end section adapted to engage with a side member of the frame, the said section having recesses therein arranged to receive said side member of the frame and hold the movable retaining-bar in open or in closed position, and forks located upon the side members of the frame near their lower ends, adapted to receive the covers .of the music. held by the retaining-bars.

It. In a music-leaf turner, the combination, with a frame having an extension at its upper portion, spring-controlled sheet-carrying arms mounted on the said extension, a keeperbar held to slide on the said frame, the upper end whereof is adapted to retain the sheetcarrying arms in their normal position, a spring exerting n pward tension on the keeperbar, and a double series of teeth produced upon the lower portion of said keeper-bar, of a spring-controlled pawl arranged for engagement with the upper series of teeth of the keeper-bar, said pawl being provided with a IOO l I i i lower portion, and 2L oimnping-bar :it the rear of the retaining-bnr, the clamping-bar being; pivoted on the bottom of the frame and provided zit the vfront with lii1iti11g-miiis, :is set forth.

In testimony whereof have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two 2o subscribing,` witnesses.

ROBERT HAMMOND.

XVit'nesses:

HARRY C. Novns, CHANDLER A. WEST. 

